


Certainty

by stubbornrhino



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Romance, a LOT of giggles i don't mean giggles as in humour i meant giggles as in people tee-heeing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25888015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stubbornrhino/pseuds/stubbornrhino
Summary: Funny thing... Chanyeol's boyfriend is one of a kind.
Relationships: Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 13
Kudos: 63
Collections: EXO Home4U - 2020





	Certainty

**Author's Note:**

> The fic is submitted for the prompt #370.
> 
> Dear Prompter and Readers,  
> I enjoyed writing this piece. To say that it surpassed my expected word count would be an understatement. Each flower that has been mentioned symbolizes something significant. For additional references refer to the author's note at the end.  
> Thank you.

It was raining cats and dogs....well, technically, it was just one black cat and it didn’t rain per se, it just came out of nowhere in front of Chanyeol’s car and he slammed the brakes down, the tires screeching some, skidding some as the vehicle was forced to a halt.

Everything paused except the sound of rain that pitter-pattered extra hard on the roof of his car and his heart that matched the thunders deafening the skies.

He breathed shakily. Then again. And again but smoother this time.

This was the most adventurous he had gotten in a month or so. Last time, the adrenaline rush was because he had to drag Kyungsoo off the table in a bar where he was drunk off his ass and stripping. It’s what he does when he is heartbroken apparently.

Speaking of Kyungsoo—

“Yeol, what the fuck happened? Are you okay?”

Chanyeol nodded then proceeded to check his limbs for any injury. He thought he saw a flash moving in the side mirror but he saw nothing as he peered again through the drizzle. He was okay. He hoped the cat was okay too.

“I’m fine,” He said. Then for some reason he added two words that did nothing to assure him or his best friend who was listening intently on the other side of the cellphone speakers. “I think.”

“I told you I can come with you but nooooooo you don’t listen to me. Ever!”

Hearing Kyungsoo rant made him feel somewhat settled and he started the car again. The smooth purr of the engine soothing the death scare which the cat incident had given him a few minutes ago.

“I’m okay, Soo. Calm down. I am almost there. Just making the turn now. I will call you soon.”

“Okay but make sure you don’t die on me, yeah? I will drag you back from the underworld and will kill you myself again.”

“Heaven, Soo. You would have to drag me from the heaven and I know.” He heard his friend grumbling and hanging up. It made him smile.

Chanyeol slowly made the turn and the tires crunched over the wet gravel. Just as he pulled in front of the only structure that blocked his clear vision of the sea which dwelled and raged beneath and beyond the cliff, a lightning struck illuminating the house in dim light, its sharp sides and angles, very visible for a brief moment, cutting through the dark tumultuous sky.

 _Home sweet home_ , Chanyeol thought as he mentally devised a plan on how to get from the car to his new home without getting wet.

Although, his plan failed spectacularly the moment he tried to use the umbrella and a strong gust blew it away. By the time he reached the wrap around porch he was soaking wet and his mood had turned for the worse. He squeezed some water out of the flannel shirt sleeves and entered the eight digit number that was his birth date into the door keypad.

He would change the password soon. Let us not make it easy for any thugs to break in now, shall we? Not like anyone sane ever ventured into this part of the town but still.

He toed off his soaked boots on the porch itself and pushed the door open to his new home. It was not much right now, with all the boxes lying around the living room, but it was home and he loved it.

Chanyeol had always wanted a house of his own. Something that would be his own space. Something that had his name on it. Apartments always felt like borrowed space no matter how big of a dime you paid for it. Living in the apartment buildings despite of them having fairly expensive penthouses, equipped with possibly every modern facility you could imagine, he was a sucker for old-fashioned houses.

And he had found the perfect one. A home for one. For now. But it would be more than enough if he was to start a family in future. But that was years down the lane.

It was a big, sturdy, mammoth of a vintage Victorian age building built on the cliffside.

The ground floor consisted of a huge kitchen with a full pantry that would put any apartment in the city to shame, two en-suite bedrooms, one guest washroom, a spacious living room that had a fireplace built in, which was one of his favourite parts of the house. The upper floor had the same planning except that it was four bedrooms and a couple of supply closets. The attic was spacious enough to house one person easily and he was thinking of turning it into his space. A private place where he could think and maybe just relax when he needed some me-time.

Kyungsoo had already claimed the second bedroom on the ground floor as his. His reasoning being, he was too old to climb up the stairs. Chanyeol had just rolled his eyes at his best friend which earned him a smack on the back of his head.

But his favourite part of the house was the floor-to-ceiling glass panels that opened up to the back porch. They were a modern architectural touch to the old structure but it worked perfectly. They worked as doors if you needed to get into the backyard or they worked as a huge screen to the ocean that looked bluest blue in the daytime and darkest black in the night. The moment he saw it he knew he was going to spend most of his time sitting by those windows or on the wooden rocking chairs he planned to place on the connected porch.

Chanyeol had been looking for his dreamhouse for years. He had seen many and rejected them. He had almost lost hope of finding the one...until this one had popped up on the site and he had called his realtor in a heartbeat for details.

He was beyond shocked when he saw the selling prize and wondered if something was wrong with the house and the previous owner just wanted to get rid of it. It already seemed like it was too good to be true. Even the wood floors were in impeccable condition! But when he had crossed the threshold on his first visit, he knew he was going to buy it. He had never felt like he belonged anywhere as much as he did in that house, in that moment.

And so he did buy it.

He made an offer on the spot which was accepted by the owner via a phone call made by his realtor. It all happened so fast and before Chanyeol knew it, the process was done in a week and he was the rightful owner of the house.

If it had been anyone else maybe they would have hesitated because the house was well out of town and was a 20 minutes ride up the cliff but Chanyeol had never been a fan of crowds and noises anyways so it was worth it.

It was like the house was made specifically for him and he couldn’t thank the previous owner enough.

Today the movers and packers had dropped off his stuff. He was in the middle of rolling around on the smooth wooden floors and delaying the unpacking when he had been called into the office to take care of an emergency. If it hadn’t been that, he would be settling in the sleeping bag in front of the windows by now.

He stumbled inside fumbling for the flashlight which he was sure he had placed on the kitchen island before he left in a hurry for office today. He hit his knee on an unopened box and stifled his scream. He knew being lazy was going to come bite him in the ass soon.

After a minute or two of shuffling, his hands found what they were looking for.

“Yessss.” He exclaimed as he clicked the flashlight on, bathing the kitchen and the living room in light.

First and foremost he needed a towel, because he was still dripping all over the floors, which he found in a box sitting near the fireplace labelled in capital letters: “ESSENTIALS”. It was Kyungsoo’s idea to leave a box untaped with all the things he would need for the duration it takes to settle everything else. He sent a small prayer to Kyungsoo’s brain and grabbed a change of dry clothes.

Second, he needed something warm, tea or hot chocolate, either sounded good to him. As he turned towards kitchen a lightning struck again and he got a glimpse of everything beyond the glass.

Everything looked normal.

Except....except there was a silhouette in the backyard.

And Chanyeol could swear on his and his ancestor’s life that there wasn’t anyone else except him, anywhere on this property till this afternoon.

The wet towel slipped and fell on the floor with a splat that sounded louder than the roaring thunders.

Chanyeol’s first instinct had been to call his best friend. Kyungsoo was the smart one out of the two of them but for whatever asinine reason he had forgotten his phone in the car which left him with the only other option.

The option that usually gets the protagonist killed in those b-grade horror movies.

So he pulled on his big boy pants, grabbed the flashlight, opened the clasp of the panel and stepped out onto the porch. The rain had suddenly dwindled down from pouring buckets to a drizzle which made it easier for him to see the object that had scared the beejesus out of him.

He hesitated before stepping down the stairs and onto the soaked dirt ground. The thought of leaving the issue for the morning and sunshine was so, so tempting to him. But he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping a wink till he checked it out himself.

With heavy steps and truck load of reluctance he marched towards the danger. At least that’s what it looked like to him from afar. He got worried for a moment.

_If it is a serial killer and I die today, Soo better not sell this house or I would poltergeist his ass for the rest of his living days._

“Hello!” He made his voice stronger, bravado he was good at. “This is a personal property. You need to get off.” He clutched the flashlight tight, ready to swing it if required.

As he reached closer it stayed the same, unmoving. That gave him a tiny bit of courage to cross the remaining distance.

As he reached closer the silhouette shined and he realised it was a man. To be more precise, it was a statue of a man and it was facing towards the sea, head slightly tilted, upwards, towards the sky. When he walked around it and planted himself in front of it, he got a clear look at the face and his breath left his body.

It was beautiful. Chanyeol thought he had seen beautiful things before. He was wrong.

The first thing that caught his attention was the crown that sat on a nest of prettily carved hair. His eyes widened at the artistry of the statue. He knew quality when he saw it. The silent lightning glinted off the edges of the leaves and ferns and some kind of flowers he didn’t recognize that made up the crown. He itched to touch it. He resisted the need to do so.

Then came the proud forehead that was showered with locks of strategically placed hair and one of the locks went a little rogue and was settled near the temple, a bit to the front and he wondered how the sculptor had managed to get that detail into the marble. The lock moved with the breeze and he blinked and it was still again. The light was playing with his eyes he was sure.

His eyes moved to the shapely eyebrows that gave way to almond shaped eyes lined with the longest eyelashes he had ever seen. Chanyeol leaned closer; he felt like they shined. He felt like if he kept staring at those eyes, he would know the secrets of the universe. 

He blinked again and his heart tried to run away from his chest. He rubbed his free hand over his chest to make the unruly organ stay.

The statue was adorned with cheeks that were full and looked so soft that his fingers twitched to touch, to confirm. Marbles aren’t soft, he reminded himself and tamped down the urge to boop the most boopable button nose he had ever come across in his lifetime.

His eyes strayed over the tapered chin and got stuck at the lips. Chanyeol inhaled as he saw the petal shaped lips, slightly parted, plump, sinful. His brain came up with one word. Perfection. That’s what it was.

Park Chanyeol was a big man. 6’1” normally, 6’2” on his best days. The statue was almost half a foot shorter than him. And the way it was positioned, head tilted, it made it seem like it was looking up at him.

He looked at the lips again, some raindrops got stuck on the thick eyelashes and Chanyeol had the urge to graze them off. Some of them slid down the nose and on the lips.

The lips which enthralled him again.

There wasn’t much space between him and the statue. A part of his mind encouraged him to see if they felt as soft as they looked. Another part of his mind screamed that molesting a statue was not on his agenda today. Or ever, for that matter.

Chanyeol was dithering from the compulsion to the logic when his decision was made for him. Lightning painted the sky brighter than ever before and the thunder rumbled louder than ever before, startling him. As if on default his body lurched forward and his cold, rain soaked, human lips touched warm, rain soaked, marble ones.

Electricity zinged through him, powering every single cell of his body. He passed out then with his body on pleasant fire, watching the sparkly stone eyes blink to life.

⛅

Chanyeol was dreaming. For sure, he was dreaming. Pfft...there was no way a marble statue blinked, eyelashes making that one wild lock of hair shudder slightly. Stuff like that happened only in movies and his life was no motion picture. He chuckled in his dream and turned on his side to curl around himself.

That’s when he was shaken.

“Soo, five more minutes.” He repeated his usual excuse. But Kyungsoo wasn’t listening today and he was poked and prodded on his forehead, cheek, and chest in quick succession. He swatted the hands away as they poked his stomach. His best friend knew he was ticklish.

“Stop it, Soo-” His sleepy answer was interrupted by a voice.

“Human, wake up.”

Now, that voice didn’t belong to Kyungsoo. It was too soft, too gentle, too melodic and that fact made Chanyeol’s body wake up better than his best friend’s trick ever did. He sat up and promptly bumped his head into something—

“Oww-”

“Owwww.”

—Or should he rather say... someone.

⛅

Chanyeol sat on one of the unpacked boxes, his elbows on his knees as he watched a god checking out his living room, unbothered with the clutter that was around the space, all in his crowned glory.

No. Literally, that’s what the man had told him. That he was a God. Chanyeol would have been sceptical if he wasn’t focused on the man... Being... God....whatever he was, for the past half an hour.

He stopped his eyes from bulging out of their sockets as he saw the figure floating above the floor. Now, that he was in his flesh and not a slab of gray marble, Chanyeol could see the white tunic and the black trousers he was wearing. They looked simple enough but they looked exceptionally good on him. And he was fair. So fair he could light up Chanyeol’s dark living room.

“What kind of god did you say you were again?”

His voice rasped out of his throat. He gulped. He needed Kyungsoo. He really did. This wasn’t anything like misplacing a supply order at the work. This was serious stuff. He was going crazy. His mind was conjuring up hallucinations. He needed help.

The prettiest man he has ever laid his eyes on, popped up from where he had been investigating the back side of the couch and beamed at him. The smile making his already full cheeks even rounder and transforming the sparkling eyes into crescents.

“I am the one who controls, what you humans call, weather.” The man dipped his head as if in a modest bow and Chanyeol wondered how the crown didn’t fall off with all the movement he was doing.

“How does the crown stay on your head? Why doesn’t it fall off?” Of all the things he could ask, _should ask_ , the words were out before he could stop them. He bit the inside of his cheek.

The man floated around the couch and came near him. “You don’t like it?” He touched a flower, which now Chanyeol could identify as white Plumerias with bright yellow at the centre of them. Then the god’s lips turned downwards and his shoulders slumped. Chanyeol’s protective instincts flared up and he kicked himself mentally as he rushed through his words.

“Like them? Hell no. I love them. I love it. It is beautiful. Suits a beautiful person like you.”

He was in trouble. He was talking to his hallucinations now and was making sure they weren’t hurt over his words. At least he wasn’t lying, so that’s something.

The god of weather looked at him and laughed.

No.

That was wrong.

He giggled and it sounded like bell chimes and birds chirping and a gentle stream burbling all at the same time and all Chanyeol could think was, _It was worth it, the craziness be damned._

“What is your name, human?” The question came out gentle and Chanyeol replies instinctively.

“Park Chanyeol. And You?”

His question was ignored for a moment as he saw the god spelling out his name. Carefully. Emphasizing the vowels. Rolling the name around, getting used to it.

“Park Chan-yeol. Chan. Yeol. Chanyeol?”

Fuck. Chanyeol would be lying if he said his heart didn’t squeeze itself painfully. He never knew his name could sound so...alluring, so special.

“Y-Yeah that.” The god shined a bit brighter and lit up the part of the floor he was floating on. Chanyeol blinked at the circle of light that appeared on the wood floor.

“Formal introductions are in order I think.” He bowed his head again. “Hello. You can call me Junmyeon. That is the name I usually go by in the mortal realm. Nice to meet you, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol threw the name around his mind. It was pretty, suited someone as pretty as the so-called god was.

Junmyeon extended his hand and Chanyeol shook it, Mama Park’s ingrained manners kicking in. His big, strong, calloused palm wrapped around small, dainty, delicate one and it somehow felt right. Junmyeon’s palm was warm and soft and he wanted to hold it in both of his palms, examine it, protect it.

He retrieved his hand gently but the warmth lingered around the dips of his fingers and travelled into his veins. He shook his head and mentally slapped the back of his head.

That’s what Kyungsoo would have done.

He blinked again as the god, Junmyeon, moved towards the glass wall, his bright figure visible in the reflection. He was doing that a lot, the blinking, since he met Junmyeon which was an hour or so ago. He changed his direction following the floating figure shuffling his feet on the floor and still sitting on the box. He was sure his legs won’t support him.

He watched as Junmyeon rested his small palms on the glass and he could swear that if he was on the other side he would be able to see how the smaller’s nose would bump against and stick to the glass. His breath didn’t imprint on the glass even though it was cold.

The panic of unknown and uncertainty was surfacing its head somewhere between his chest and stomach and he was trying his best not to succumb to it.

“Do you like stars, Chanyeol?”

Junmyeon asked out of the blue and he nodded immediately desperate to hang on to any semblance of normalcy. Stars were normal. He saw them every day. That was one of the reasons he wanted to live away from too bright city lights which shrouded the small twinkling orbs.

He watched, waiting for the man to say something, to continue the conversation because something must follow a question. Right?

And something did follow that question. It was a smile, a brighter circle on the wood floor and a weird gesture from the man, jerking his palms on the glass in opposite directions like opening sliding doors.

Chanyeol was too distracted by the glowing deity to notice what had happened. When the said deity turned around looking at him expectantly, nose scrunched so prettily and smiling full he didn’t understand.

At first, that is. But then his eyes flitted behind the glass and stayed, widened.

This time he didn’t blink, no, he was too shocked to do so. This time he didn’t stay sitting on the box, instead he stood and camped beside Junmyeon, his hands on the glass, nose squished against it. His shaky exhale made a small circle on it. But that didn’t matter. He was having a bigger breakdown right now.

He watched in awe as the dark clouds slowly parted down in a straight line and kept moving till a passage of stars shined between them. He had never seen the balls of dust and gas shining so brightly, as if they were trying to please someone.

He looked down at the petite god-person beside him who was still moving his hands on the glass. He soon realized that the clouds followed the movement of his small palms and....it was too much for him.

“Do you like them brighter?” The god asked him, small frown lines appearing on his forehead, definitely unaware of how his mind and logic was giving up on him. He tried to take a breath and it got stuck somewhere in his lungs and won’t come out as the orbs burned brighter. He wheezed.

“I am going crazy.” He whispered to himself. “No, I have gone crazy. Kyungsoo was right.” His eyes stared at the sky for a moment more and then he turned away from them. He didn’t look at the glowing figure beside him, instead he focused on the spotlight on the floor.

“Thank you so much for the show, Junmyeon” He bowed slightly, his voice steady, a total contrast to his emotions. “I need some sleep now.” That was the best he could do before completely losing it and pulling at his hair. He restrained from looking up as the light on the floor dimmed a little.

“O-Okay.” The God’s voice was small now and it tugged at his heart but he made his way towards the bedroom that he wasn’t supposed to use anytime soon. “Have a sound sleep, Chanyeol.” His name sounded something magical when Junmyeon said it.

He ignored everything and closed the bedroom door behind him, making a beeline towards the unmade bed and lied down on it diagonally. He pushed the thought of leaving a stranger in his living room, with all of his stuff in the open, to the back of his mind and closed his eyes.

Junmyeon’s chiming voice lulled him to sleep. The words ricocheting inside his being, making him warm from inside.

He drifted off in seconds and dreamt of flower crowns and plump cheeks and oh so brightly twinkling stars.

⛅

The sun rose too soon for Chanyeol the next day. His slumber broke and his body went into an immediate state of vigilance as he suddenly sat up in his bed remembering last night’s events. His hair was plastered on one side of his head and his neck was aching. He must have slept in an odd angle.

But all of that can wait. What he needed to do was to check how much of his stuff was stolen.

He grabbed a curtain rod that was leaning against a wall and tiptoed towards his own living room. He peeked around the corner and found.... nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary, that is.

The metal rod went slack in his grip as he took account of the room. Everything was just as he had left it last night. The boxes, his sleeping bag, the couch, the tv, the wet towel on the floor. Everything was just like before...except...except he could smell the floral, sweet scent that permeated the whole room, making him heady, reminding him of soft delicate features and melodious voice.

He got ready and rushed out as he was already running late and was sure his best friend/business partner would rip him a new one for clocking in late for an important meeting. He closed the door behind him and breathed in the fresh morning air. His face morphed into a frown.

It didn’t smell of the white plumerias like his home did.

⛅

One week. It took Chanyeol one week to get over the strangest encounter of his life and term it as a one-time-freak-accident.

One time, because it wasn’t going to happen again. If he saw a statue on his property again, he was going either to run away or push it off the cliff. Even he knew the latter was impossible for him to do, so he came up with a third option. He will gift it to Kyungsoo. Yes, that was the best.

Freak, because he was still hella freaked out. He knew if he dared to talk to someone about this he would get a one way ticket to a mental health care institution. Gods and other magical stuff didn’t sell in this world. Sometimes his mind managed to convince him that it was all a part of a hallucination but the more logical part of him remembered.

It remembered the two petals of white plumeria he had found behind the couch two days after that night. He had picked them up with shaking fingers and placed them in his palm. They were silky soft and as vibrant as if they were plucked fresh from the flower.

He decided to keep them under a glass dome on his kitchen counter, waiting for them to change, wilt, do something. They stayed just like they were....fresh, innocent, and immortal.

He called it accident because his butt had taken a hit when he passed out. The bruise was faded to a pale yellow but it still hurt.

Some memories of that night were jumbled in his head, confusing him and some were already fading or changing when he mulled over them in his free time. But some of them were as clear as a day. The lock that moved with every blink and the circle of light that followed the god and the stars shinning bright, bright, brighter.

But what mattered was that it was past. _One week ago technically counts as past, right?_ He made peace with the accident and was glad that his hectic work has given him enough distraction or else he would have gone crazy.

He was busy looking at some sample designs of wardrobes that were to be installed in the mansion that belonged to his client, Mr. Kim, when Miley Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball chased the silence out of his office. He leaned back in his swivel chair and picked up the call.

Even before he could chime in his greetings Kyungsoo was talking. “Don’t tell me you are still in the office, Yeol.”

“Soo, weren’t you supposed to visit and take a look at the Penthouse. Are you already done?” He asked flipping through the designs that he wasn’t liking much.

“Chanyeol. There is a clock on the wall right in front of you. Tell me what’s the time.” Kyungsoo’s voice was patient but held the edge which he usually did when Chanyeol did something stupid.

“What do you mean? It’s... 6:30?” His eyebrows rose up and the sentence ended up in a question.

Last he remembered was having his coffee at 4 pm. Two and a half hours later and he still didn’t have an idea about the designs he was going to present Mr. Kim in their next meeting. The man was already intimidating enough; he would eat Chanyeol alive if he went in empty handed. He groaned and banged his head lightly on the chair.

“I am so sorry, Soo. I lost track of time.” He stood up and gathered his wallet and keys from his desk drawer and switched off the lights. “I will leave in five, be there in 30.”

“I knew you would forget, dumbass. Thank fuck I am the smart one between us.” Chanyeol heard a car door slamming shut in the background as he waited for the elevator to arrive on his floor. “I am already here and I come with pizza.”

His best friend was really a blessing and he conveyed so as he got into the elevator. He heard two light thuds and assumed Kyungsoo dropped the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter.

“I am going to go take a bath. You better be here before I come out or you aren’t getting any pizza tonight.” Soo’s voice was playful and he laughed at that. Some puppy eyes and his best friend would melt.

“Sir, Yes Sir!” His reply made Kyungsoo laugh so hard he choked. Chanyeol didn’t understand why his best friend was still choking on the other side of the line.

“Soo! Please it wasn’t even that funny.” He rolled his eyes as the elevator doors opened in the parking and he started walking towards his car.

“Yeol!” Kyungsoo’s strangled voice made his feet heavy instantly and he stopped.

“What’s wrong?” He was getting scared now. “SOO!”

“Yeol, fuck! There’s someone in your house. Fuck fuck fuck....” His best friend’s whispers trailed off into more colourful curses.

“What the fuck, Soo? Get the fuck out of there. Get out and call the police.” Chanyeol spoke urgently as his pace quickened. Why did he have to park his car so far today?

“Yeol....” Kyungsoo’s voice trailed off again and Chanyeol fumbled to open his car door. “Whaaaa....”

“Soo, I swear on Mama Doh’s beef stew, I will kill you if you don’t get out of there right now!” Chanyeol’s voice was harsh this time but he could feel the fear building up in the back of his throat.

“Yeol...he is...he is....”

“What? What is he doing?” The panic was now clearly dripping from his words as he buckled himself up.

“He is...for fuck’s sake! This is going to sound crazy but Yeol, he is...FLYING?!” Kyungsoo’s shocked voice filtered through the speakers and stilled his movements.

Flying— His god was back. Fuck. Junmyeon was back?

“Soo, listen to me. Don’t call the police.” His voice had taken a serious note and he knew Kyungsoo was listening to every word he was saying. “I will explain everything. Don’t go near him, don’t say anything to him, don’t anger him and definitely do not think about killing him.” His hands tightened on the steering wheel as protective instinct flared in his chest. The instinct was for Kyungsoo or Junmyeon that he didn’t know. “Stay on the porch if you cannot handle it.”

“He is looking at me!” Kyungsoo whispered a little too loudly and Chanyeol started the engine.

“Stay on the porch till I reach there.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t talk to you while I drive okay?”

“I understand, Yeol. I will manage it here.”

For some reason the word “manage” coming from Soo didn’t sit right with him. He hoped that his best friend won’t get himself fried to a crisp. He was just thirty years old. How will he tell Mama and Papa Doh that their son pissed of a god? He didn’t know how gods worked but what he knew was that a human cursing them definitely won’t result into something positive.

He peeled out of the parking space and wished that he won’t get stuck in the rush hour traffic.

⛅

When the house came into view, Chanyeol searched for anything out of place. It all looked perfect from outside. The sunset was painting the background sky with hues of pink and orange and it looked beautiful to him. He would have walked a little away from the house and looked at the sunset over the vast expanse of ocean, sitting on the huge rocks if it had been a normal day. But this was far from a normal day. His best friend’s life was in danger and if something happened to Soo on his watch he would never be able to forgive himself.

Second time in a week, he left his car haphazardly parked in front of his door and ran towards it. After failing to put the correct numbers twice, he took a deep breath and pressed his birth date in the correct order, mouthing it along. Finally as the beep signalled his entrance he thundered inside...and came up on a sight he never thought he would see.

“Yeol!” His best friend’s voice was high, excitement palpable. Too cheery considering it was sassy Soo who believed in sarcasm and disses whispered under his breath. “Yeol. Look, look!” Chanyeol would have seen at what Kyungsoo was showing if the man wasn’t hovering around his couch oohing and aahing at something.

“Hello, Chanyeol.”

That sweet, sweet voice pierced straight through his rib cage and his heart fell prey to it as it thumped harder, pumping more blood than his ears needed. He hoped the lights would hide his blushing ears and was about to move forward when the god’s flower-crown clad head looked at him over the couch. It was lopsided and was slipping down as the god reached for it and settled it back on top of his head. His soft giggle filled the living room and Chanyeol swore the room brightened.

His eyes did their thing and Chanyeol cleared his throat.

“Hello....Junmyeon?” That wasn’t supposed to be a question but it did end up being so. He watched the god nod his head fast, his smile wide and his eyes glowing. Chanyeol was smiling back before he could register what he was doing.

“Stop the googly eyes and look at him, Yeol.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes as he fought off the blush that crept onto his cheeks. Trust Soo to ruin shit for him. He moved closer to the two and leaned to take a look. His mouth opened as he realized what got Kyungsoo so excited.

Today the crown was a wreath of Jade Vine. The blue-green flowers were woven tight in a small circle, a size that was perfect for the weather god’s head. As he leaned closer still, he found white, small, bell-shaped Lilies of the Valley laced through the lush blue-green. He wanted to touch them, see if they were as silky, just as freaky long living as the white petals with yellow ends sitting under the glass dome in his kitchen.

“Look at him.” His best friend dragged him and made him stand in front of the couch and he towered over the small glowing body. “He glows.” Kyungsoo gestured and touched Junmyeon’s hair, looking smitten. Chanyeol wanted to smack his best friend’s hand away. “And he can fly!” He watched Kyungsoo bounce on his feet in amusement.

Before he could respond, Junmyeon did.

“I don’t fly. I float.”

He watched as Junmyeon stood up on the couch. His height taller than Kyungsoo but not so much than himself. Junmyeon’s head was held high and his chest was puffed out with pride as he twirled and showed off his “floating” skills to his audience of two.

Kyungsoo was looking up at the god as if he had seen...well a god. And Chanyeol.... Chanyeol’s overactive heart slipped down to his stomach effortlessly, leaving a Junmyeon sized space for the god to wiggle in and stay, his crown and all.

Kyungsoo clapped beside him and he shook himself off the strange warm feeling that had overtaken him by smacking his best friend’s head.

“Stop fuelling him, Soo. And you,” He pointed at the god, “Get down.”

He didn’t know where the courage came from but he held onto the flimsy speck of it. He felt satisfied as the other two scampered and sat side-by-side, mirroring each other’s stance, arms crossed, sulking and glaring up at him. The only difference, one was sitting on the couch, the other was hovering over it.

He took a seat on the nearby ottoman, returning the glare and pointed his index finger between the two men.

“Care to tell me what happened here?”

Saying that he was confused would be an understatement. He never pegged his best friend to end up having an acceptable reaction to Junmyeon. That was one of the reasons he had never talked about it with Kyungsoo, never mentioned it to another living soul.

It took him days to get on terms with the fact that Gods exist and he abandoned company of one in his living room in lieu of saving his sanity. He didn’t regret how he reacted that night. If he hadn’t walked away and gotten himself the much needed space he would have lost it and that won’t have ended up well. Even after understanding that there were many more things than his small pea-sized existence could ever fathom, even then, sometimes he would think it was all a dream.

But seeing Kyungsoo sitting beside the deity had opened up new dimensions of complicated thoughts he wasn’t really ready to tackle just yet.

“He came at me.” His best friend’s voice dripped petulance. It reminded him of the time when Soo would lose against him in games during their high school inter-house competitions. “I mean he floated towards me. I froze.”

“He screamed too.” The god chimed in seriously with his two cents, nodding his head wisely which made him snort and Kyungsoo to slide down the couch some.

“He showered me with rain.”

“I apologise for my lack of control.” Junmyeon reached and patted Kyungsoo’s arm, his lips downturned slightly.

“But it’s okay because he dried me real fast right, Junmyeon?” Chanyeol raised both his eyebrows in surprise. He was watching Kyungsoo being kind to a stranger, a stranger who had done something that should have pissed him off. He needed to convey this to Mama and Papa Doh asap. Their son was growing up.

“Yeah, fast.” Junmyeon bobbed his head up and down and repeated Kyungsoo’s words waving his hand like it was not a big deal at all.

“Then?” He prompted because this can’t possibly be all. Chanyeol won’t believe that this was everything that happened.

“Then what? He told me he is a god and I said prove it and he glowed so bright I thought my eyes would fry. But then I was like ‘Dude, you’re a god’ and he was like ‘I know’.” Kyungsoo stopped his rant and took a deep breath since he managed to tell all of that without breathing.

“Then we decided to become companions.” Junmyeon said in his solemn tone again.

“Companions for what?”

“He means friends, Yeol. We are friends now.” He watched flabbergasted as the other two nodded their heads in unison.

He needed a break. He really did. He had never been a fan of baby steps but anything related to Junmyeon needed time to digest. The much needed distraction came in the form of rumbling tummies.

“Let’s talk about how _you_ met him over pizza, yes?” Kyungsoo’s suggestion was barely out of his mouth and Chanyeol jumped to his feet to get the boxes and drinks, grabbing the chance to get away. He heard Junmyeon’s voice over the space that was between him and the other two sitting.

“What’s a pee-zza?”

He laughed quietly as he heard Kyungsoo splutter in shock. Maybe having a god around wasn’t going to be that bad.

⛅

They somehow ended up sitting on the floor, surrounding the now almost empty pizza boxes, and empty glasses of coke. Chanyeol observed as Jumyeon devoured the last slice of creamy artichoke pizza. There was cheese smeared over his cheek and Chanyeol smiled. The god still looked cute.

Apparently this specific god knew what pizza was, had seen it before. This was just his first time trying it. He watched as two twinkling eyes widened at the sight of the dessert pie and he slid the box closer to the god, nodding his chin and gesturing to pick the first piece.

His best friend dived like the starved dog he was for the next piece. He would have smacked Kyungsoo if it was just two of them but he was too busy staring at Junmyeon who was sitting in front of him.

Chanyeol will remember every fraction of the reaction Junmyeon had the moment the smores pizza touched his tongue. The god’s eyes widened even more, and how that was possible Chanyeol didn’t know. He laughed as he saw Junmyeon brighten up considerably and bob in the air a little higher, gobbling the dessert and filling his plump cheeks up.

“I take it that you like it?”

“Mmmmm...” He shook his head as he grabbed his own piece and nibbled on it.

“Awwww. He loves it, Yeol.” Chanyeol glared at Kyungsoo as he nudged the God with his elbow.

It turned out that Junmyeon didn’t venture on earth much, his visits related to monitoring weather conditions around the globe being the exception.

There was no need for him to visit this realm beyond that. His older brother on the other hand practically lived here.

Both the humans were shocked out of their wits when he fished out a brand new model of a smartphone, flipping it this way and that, showing it off to them proving that the gods weren’t as old fashioned as they thought they were.

The gods evolving and adapting to human technology and inventions was a mind boggling thought to Chanyeol. He would never understand how Junmyeon knew how a satellite worked but hadn’t tasted a pizza before today.

“So how did you find Yeol’s place?” Kyungsoo’s question pulled him out of his thoughts and he focused his gaze on the god who was busy licking the corner of his lips where some blotches of chocolate were stuck. He watched the struggle for a breath longer and then offered a tissue. Junmyeon accepted it and wiped off his mouth in frustration.

“I didn’t find it. My brother did.” Junmyeon looked at something that neither of the humans could see. “We got into a fight that day and we landed on the first surface we found, which was the backyard.” Chanyeol’s insides did a weird dance that didn’t make him feel good at all as he saw the small god turning smaller, shoulders slouching. “He turned me to stone. He was so angry.” The god suddenly looked up at Chanyeol. “But he freed me.”

“Wait wait wait.” His best friend smacked his head and continued. “This dumbass freed you from a curse? This dumbass who falls down his bed because he cannot free himself properly from his blankets in the morning?” Kyungsoo held Chanyeol’s face and turned it side to side. “This dumbass?”

Chanyeol shook himself out of his best friend’s grip. “Your trust in me flatters me, Soo. It really does.” He added dryly.

Kyungsoo was still shocked because he then turned towards Junmyeon and pressed him for details.

“He ki–” The god started but was instantly cut off by Chanyeol.

“I fell on him and I fainted. Next thing I knew he was poking me.” He ignored Junmyeon’s curious eyes and focused on his small hands instead which were folding a clean tissue into something.

He did what he had to do. If his best friend got to know that he had kissed a god and then passed out, Kyungsoo would never let him live that one down. That was peak blackmail material. Plus Chanyeol wanted to keep his first moment with Junmyeon to himself. For what? That he didn’t know.

“Yeah...yeah, he fell on me.” Junmyeon’s soft voice broke his resolve and their eyes met. He conveyed his gratitude and the god responded with an understanding nod.

“Typical Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo guffawed as he rolled on the floor and smacked his head again. The other two watched him make a fool out of himself.

“Why do you do that, Kyungsoo?” Junmyeon’s question didn’t go unnoticed as his best friend tilted his head in question. “Why do you keep smacking Chanyeol?”

“Because he deserves it most of the time. Wanna do it too?” Chanyeol rolled his eyes. His best friend was hopeless.

“No, thank you. If I do it, he will die.” The god responded, his eyes serious.

Kyungsoo choked. Chanyeol’s lips twitched upwards.

⛅

When Chanyeol woke up the next day he found one Lily of the Valley sitting innocently on the floor beside a tissue that was folded into a crane. He picked them up and they looked so small between his fingers. The mild white of the lily and the bright red of the crane contrasting beautifully on his palm.

He placed them under the glass dome, adding it to the petals of plumerias, adding it to his own Junmyeon collection.

⛅

_“Why are you here again? Don’t you have to do....I don’t know...some godly stuff?”_

_“What’s for dinner, human?”_

Before Chanyeol knew what was happening Junmyeon had become a common presence in his life. The god would come and go without any fixed schedule and was never gone for more than a couple of days.

In the beginning, Chanyeol used to get tiny heart-attacks as he used to stumble on the floating figure out of nowhere but then he slowly got used to it. In fact, he looked forward to meeting the god who would come with awe inspiring stories and a soothing presence that Chanyeol needed. It was surprising how easy it was for him to relax in Junmyeon’s company.

He would be having a bad day or even a disastrous week and the god would appear with his goofy smile, barely there dimples and his crowns made up of different flowers and Chanyeol’s stress would melt away.

With every visit Chanyeol’s Junmyeon Collection increased. With the addition of true blue Forget-Me-Nots, pink Honeysuckles, pastel coloured Peonies, pink-yellow Alstroemeria, red Amaryllis, Hydrangeas in pink and purple, dark red Carnations, multiple coloured Tulips and Baby’s Breath twining on around the wooden base his considerably small glass dome was getting jam-packed.

He reminds himself of buying a new, bigger one. At this rate he would have to build a whole greenhouse for his eternal garden.

The weekends were somewhat of a headache, for Chanyeol, because usually Soo and Junmyeon would team up against him, leaving him flustered or sulking or both, most of the times.

But he liked it. He liked watching the two people that mattered to him bond over greasy food and making jibes at him. He liked how Kyungsoo was comfortable with Junmyeon. After him, the god was the only other breathing creature his best friend entertained. He liked that now he didn’t have to break his back over dragging Kyungsoo to bed because Junmyeon’s superhuman strength did a better job of it. He liked that Junmyeon would stealthily hold his pinky now and then. He also liked that the god made sure he was carefully tucked in and comfortable in his bed before leaving.

Chanyeol remembers how much courage he had needed that one night when he finally had dared to grab Junmyeon’s wrist and asked him to stay. The god had looked at him for what felt like ages and Chanyeol thought maybe he had over stepped his boundaries. But then Junmyeon had lain down above the blankets and had glowed so much that his room was bathed in light.

They had slept in Chanyeol’s bed that night, their fingers intertwined, sun shining behind Chanyeol’s sleep-heavy eyelids.

Months passed like this and the light touches had turned into much more. Tucking a stray strand of hair here, placing head on the other’s shoulder there, hugging each other for a second extra almost multiple times a day.

They gravitated towards each other on instinct. Whenever Junmyeon was around, Chanyeol’s eyes would burn brighter. Junmyeon would blush more when Chanyeol would slowly tuck him into his side, his small body fitting in the space perfectly. They even started to complete each other’s sentences and two bespectacled doe eyes observed it all.

Kyungsoo saw it all. He paid close attention to Chanyeol. His best friend was madly in love and he wasn’t even aware of it. He rolled his eyes as he watched the love birds playing footsie under the table. They thought he didn’t know...more like they were horrendous at hiding their feelings.

He smirked as Chanyeol and Junmyeon retired to the master bedroom for the nth time. He still couldn’t believe that the two actually believed his act of sleeping like a log. It was true, love made you blind.

Who knew his best friend would go and fall for a god? But he was happy that Chanyeol was happy, ecstatic even. Junmyeon was good for him.

⛅

“So, there’s four of you....including you?” Chanyeol was lying down on the back deck with his head in Junmyeon’s lap as he played with fingers that were way smaller than his, making the owner smile.

“Yes. I am the youngest.” Junmyeon looked down at him, eyes two crescents.

“So just four of you take care of everything?” Chanyeol’s eyes widened and his eyebrows rose up making Junmyeon laugh. He traced Chanyeol’s eyebrows and the taller closed his eyes, smiling.

“Of course not, silly. There are many, many gods. We four just happen to be brothers.”

“Well, talk about family legacy, huh?” Chanyeol said and that pulled another giggle out of Junmyeon. His heart thump thump thumped in his rib cage. “What are they like? The other three.”

“Idiots. They are idiots. I hate them.” Junmyeon huffed and Chanyeol’s eyes opened up to Junmyeon pouting. It was an adorable sight. Chanyeol’s mind went blank for a second.

“No, you don’t. Siblings are just annoying.” Chanyeol said clearly remembering hundreds of petty fights he and Yoora used to go through every week.

“Hmmph.” Junmyeon’s grumble made him smile wider and Chanyeol bopped his nose twice with his index finger.

“Boop. Boop.”

⛅

“CHANYEOOOLLLLL!!!”

The cast iron mustard yellow dutch oven was almost dropped on the floor, while Chanyeol was taking it off the heat, courtesy of the shrill scream that echoed through his house and startled him. It took hours to prepare this stew and he would have been really angry if he had spilled it. Mama Doh would have been angrier at him for letting it happen.

Junmyeon was going to get an earful for this. He walked towards their bedroom to do just that.

“Junmyeon, I almost dropped–...What are you doing?” He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. The god was hanging from the ceiling fan, clutching it tight and was looking down at something Chanyeol couldn’t see from where he was standing.

“What’s that?!” He pointed at something and moved his head from side to side, fast. Chanyeol was going to ask what in the world was he talking about when a black blur came into his view and disappeared too fast to catch a proper glimpse of. He sighed. How did he forget to warn Junmyeon that his house had a new member?

“That is Toben.” He answered breezily and kept an eye on both Junmyeon and his pup.

“B-But what is that?” Junmyeon stuttered and Chanyeol cooed over the adorableness that was on his ceiling, hair askew, eyes shaking. He walked in and tapped his thigh.

“Tobennie, come here, boy. Come–oh god...” It took him some time to catch the little, sneaky source of headache but he eventually succeeded. He held the wiggling black ball of fur in his arms and moved towards Junmyeon. “Jun, meet the youngest son of Park family. Although I am really saying that in the loosest sense possible. He is actually my enemy.” He said fondly as he placed kisses on top of Toben’s head. Junmyeon’s brows wrinkled and he laughed.

“Puppies aren’t that fast....are they?” He heard Junmyeon ask from a safe distance away as he walked out of their room. _Their_...him thinking of his room as theirs wasn’t creepy. Not at all.

“Toben is when he wants to be, which is almost all the time.” He replied simply as he placed Toben where he can keep an eye on him from the kitchen and steered the hovering god towards the dining chair by holding the small, glowing hand in his big, tanned one. “He is an angel for my mother but trust me when I say he is anything but.”

He ladled some stew over some white rice and presented the bowl to Junmyeon who dug into it immediately. He smiled and nodded to himself as Junmyeon took his first bite and moaned.

“Good?”

“Sho gooood.” Chanyeol.exe crashed and got dazed for a few minutes as the god smiled at him, cheeks full. Even after months he would be struck with Junmyeon’s beauty at the most random times. He suddenly felt the need to caress the man’s cheek and he did so by reaching over and feathering his knuckles over the god’s cheekbone.

Time stood still for how long he didn’t know as he gazed into Junmyeon’s wide eyes that held unimaginable depth and secrets that he didn’t really care to probe as long as the god himself didn’t tell him. The moments stretched as Chanyeol noticed something wash over the Junmyeon’s eyes, making the orbs more luminous. Before he could put a name to what it was, Toben growled and the spell was broken. He internally cursed and blessed the dog.

For the rest of the night, Junmyeon’s cheeks were pink and he glowed brighter than usual. Chanyeol, on the other hand, was pleased with himself for some reason.

If Toben had been a human he would have squished their heads together and ordered them to kiss. But since he was not, he settled on growling every time Chanyeol would try to come closer to the smaller person. No one said his hyung was supposed to have it easy.

⛅

Chanyeol couldn’t stop the smile that came across his face as he remembered their day out a few days ago. Junmyeon, Toben and him. They went out for a walk. A little away from the house. Chanyeol watched the blue sea and wondered how he had ended up practically housing a god. A god whom he had feelings for. A god who was giggling at Toben prancing around the grass.

“Chanyeol, look!” And he had looked at what Junmyeon was pointing at in the sky. His eyes went wide in wonder as he watched the Toben shaped clouds mimicking the dog’s actions. The Toben cloud tumbled and rolled around in the sky and he wondered if other people could see it too.

“He likes it.” Junmyeon had looked at the hyper pup with affection and Chanyeol had went and sat beside him in the grass.

“I like it too.” He had whispered.

It didn’t take much for Toben to take a liking towards Junmyeon. The unruly pup couldn’t even last a day. He shouldn’t have been surprised really. Junmyeon was just difficult to dislike. He knew it by experience after all. He had tried and failed miserably.

They had been watching Ferdinand. Toben had grumbled as Chanyeol leaned his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder which was the perfect height for him. Just like how everything about Junmyeon was perfect for Chanyeol. Always.

Junmyeon had responded by huffing and had sat still as the black ball of fluff sniffed around him. Suddenly the pup had jumped onto his lap and snuggled there, curling tight, leaving Junmyeon clueless and flustered. Chanyeol had held his breath but there was no need. Junmyeon reached out and petted the pup with tentative touches, soft and light, at first, then had become more confident as Toben had turned his head demanding to be scratched behind his ears.

Chanyeol should have seen the two teaming up against him too. Junmyeon had a talent of turning his people against him. He didn’t mind it.

“Earth to Yeol.” His daydreaming was stopped by Kyungsoo who knocked on his forehead, hard. “Stop dreaming about Junmyeon and pick up Mr. Kim’s call.”

“I wasn’t dreaming about Junmyeon.” His excuse was fooling no one. “And again? I just met Mr. Kim this Tuesday. It’s been two days!”

“First of all, don’t you dare lie to me, Park Chanyeol. I know that look on your face.” Chanyeol leaned back in his chair as his best friend leaned towards him over his desk. “Second, he said something about flooring and how he is leaning towards metallic blue grunge tiles that he saw somewhere.”

“What?” Now Kyungsoo had his full attention. “But we decided on maple floors. I even placed the order the moment we settled on it.” This client was giving Chanyeol a difficult time. The man was rich but he was a prick.

“Just talk to him, Yeol.” Chanyeol banged his head on his desk to get away from Kyungsoo’s stare. “Call him before he comes barging in here like last time.”

“Why me? Why?” He groaned, mentally preparing himself for cancelling an order that was probably already packed and ready to be shipped. He was going to bill extra charges for this.

⛅

Confessing love is not easy and Chanyeol’s wasn’t more so as he had fallen for a god.

Chanyeol was kind, compassionate, smart, funny. He had better than average looks and was healthy. He had a home and a stable job, an interior design firm that did more than well. He had a family that was supportive of every decision he had made till now. He had a best friend who was ready to do anything for him. He hadn’t had many relationships in thirty years of his life but all of them had been good. None lasted but he regretted nothing. Technically, Chanyeol had all the requirements a normal person would look for in a partner.

But the person Chanyeol wanted was neither normal nor in his league. In fact, he wasn’t even his own species. He had known having feelings for Junmyeon would never end well for him but it’s not like he planned for it. It just happened.

If we were talking about falling for someone unattainable, Chanyeol had set a standard that was impossible to reach.

Chanyeol was the man of routine and he dealt with any change at his own pace. And usually that pace was slow. It took him months to just accept that he had some deep, irrevocable feelings for Junmyeon that went beyond affection he had felt for anyone before.

Then it had taken him a couple more months to make peace with the fact that they were impossible. So he had planned on watching the god from afar and never confessing his feelings....okay maybe confessing them someday when he was feeling particularly bold and reckless.

Then came Kyungsoo with his overly loud, overly meddling, overly annoying self and had pushed his plan down the cliff.

“Yuk! I am going to puke. Take the boyfriends shit out of my face.”

Kyungsoo’s words had made Chanyeol’s fingers, which were threading through Junmyeon’s hair, stop abruptly. He stared at his best friend who was sprawled in front of him and thought of kicking Kyungsoo’s butt. He wouldn’t feel much pain anyways with how thick it was.

Junmyeon whined and nudged him to continue.

“What’s boyfriends shit?”

Chanyeol felt like everything was coming crashing down around him. He wasn’t ready for this and Junmyeon wouldn’t let this go. He pulled back his hand from Junmyeon’s hair and clasped his own fingers. He stared at the Calla Lilies that adorned Junmyeon’s head in different colours today; pink, purple, yellow and white.

“It means stop making heart eyes at each other and kiss already.” Kyungsoo had thrown a pillow at them and went away for the night, leaving Chanyeol and Junmyeon in a silence that became unbearable for him soon.

“Junmyeon, I–”

“I like you, Chanyeol. I really do.” His head whipped up at the god who was smiling at him calmly, serenely.

“I liked you from the moment our lips met and you fainted on me, almost crushing me. I liked you some more when you kept the plumeria petals safe. Then some more when you fed me and made me laugh with all your weird quirks. Then some more when I watched you sleep every night with a smile on your face.”

Junmyeon was practically on him now, straddling him. Chanyeol had stopped breathing at _‘I like you’_.

“Some more for these eyebrows which scrunch up when you’re thinking extra hard.” Junmyeon traced his eyebrow with a finger. “And I like these ears some extra when they twitch every time you smile at me.” His ears were hot as Junmyeon’s cold fingers touched them. “And these cheeks which are getting fuller now and I like them like that.” His face was cupped in tiny glowing hands and Chanyeol felt loved, treasured. Junmyeon touched their foreheads and he closed his eyes, shakily exhaling and made his decision. “And–”

Chanyeol leaned forward and connected their lips, holding Junmyeon closer. Hoping this would serve as his answer. He was super, duper glad that Junmyeon responded almost immediately. Their lips moving against each other, slotting together perfectly like they were made for this.

And to him, to Chanyeol, Junmyeon tasted like the earthy scent of first rain and like crashing waves, like the loud thunders and bright lightning, like the calm before the storm and like the destruction it leaves behind... like the first ray of sunshine after long sunless winter days and like the fragrance of bouquet made up of every flower he recognised and he didn’t. Junmyeon tasted like love and hope and tranquillity and total madness. Junmyeon tasted intoxicating. And Chanyeol was drowning.

He didn’t mind. He didn’t mind that at all.

⛅

Kyungsoo had woken up to a sight worse than what he had left to. The two love birds were busy inhaling each other’s face in the kitchen.

“What have I done?” His horrified tone did nothing to faze the two and his best friend flipped him off never breaking the contact. “I hope you choke on all that tongue action.” He shielded his eyes from the glow the smaller was emitting and rushed over to the pot of milk that was about to bubble over.

He grabbed some cereal and poured some milk in a glass, trying his best to ignore the kissing sounds the whole time. Then he made his way towards his chosen bedroom. Breakfast in bed today seemed like a very good idea.

⛅

After the “accidental confession” as Chanyeol liked to call it, nothing much changed for them. But a lot of things changed for Kyungsoo.

Public display of affection that was mostly restricted to intertwined fingers beneath the tables and slight, subtle side hugs and googly eyes from fair distance turned into full on make out sessions and corny, downright nausea inducing cheesy lines. Confessions of their undying love for each other became so common that sometimes Kyungsoo took the liberty of finishing their sentences just to get it over with quickly. He was tired of hearing the ‘you are cute’ ‘no, you’ battles multiple times a day, even over the phone calls and text messages.

He was good at tuning out all of that but what he couldn’t deal with was the giggles. The two giggled a lot. A LOT. And Kyungsoo wanted to maim them real bad. No, there was nothing to giggle over Chanyeol hooking his pinkies in Junmyeon’s trouser belt loops and pulling him closer just to touch their foreheads. No, there was nothing to giggle over Junmyeon flittering over Chanyeol trying to tame his wild hair in the morning. And there was absolutely nothing at all to giggle over them acting like teenagers falling in love for the first time, hormones all over the place.

Saying that, he adored how in love they were, the kind that was written in novels and the kind that helped craft poems. He especially adored how the two being distracted gave him an upper hand on their game nights.

“And Junmyeon is officially bankrupt. Again.” He clapped his hands and then collected his monopoly money stacks oblivious to the glare the said man was giving him. He chortled some and lost his eyesight.

“Goddamnit, Junmyeon.” He took off his glasses which were fogged and tried to clean them up by rubbing it on his t-shirt sleeve.

“Hey! Why do I get a frozen bed when he gets only temporary impaired vision?” Chanyeol was offended. Waking up on a slab of ice was not funny.

“That was one time!” Junmyeon gasped. “I did it in my sleep. I apologised.” He pouted and Chanyeol smiled wide and pecked the protruding lower lip.

“I know, sweetheart.”

They giggled again and Kyungsoo was glad he couldn’t see them. He was going to sacrifice Chanyeol to Mr. Kim sooner rather than later.

⛅

“Jongdae, if you don’t tone it down I am going to take it back.” Chanyeol watched his boyfriend stomp his foot and speak to the sky.

Apparently the sun, yes the ginormous star that lit up our solar system, yes that one, had become really out of control since Jongdae, Junmyeon’s older brother had won the jurisdiction of it after Junmyeon had lost it in a drinking game of some kind a few decades ago.

Gods betting on planets and solar systems was so surreal for Chanyeol that he could do nothing but laugh as his boyfriend ranted about it to him.

Today the temperature was blazing and for some reason it was riling up his boyfriend that his popsicle was melting faster than he could lick through it.

“Is that how you want to play? Let me come home, you, obnoxious brat.” Junmyeon stomped his way to him like a petulant child, corners of his lips turned down. “Watch me talk Minseok into giving me the star back, Yeol.”

Chanyeol nodded and sighed as the temperature around them cooled significantly and a gentle breeze flowed around them. He pulled his boyfriend in his lap.

“Wanna share?” He asked and nudged a spoonful of black sesame ice-cream towards Junmyeon’s lips.

Junmyeon smiled. Chanyeol’s world brightened.

⛅

Having a weather god as your boyfriend had many, many perks, getting to watch auroras in your backyard was pretty cool and was one of them, getting mildly zapped every time you kissed him was not.

“Yeol, pay attention to me!” Junmyeon’s demand was heard by Chanyeol but he couldn’t afford the distraction as of now. He was supposed to choose a male model for their home accessories brand, which was to be launched sometime soon. Kyungsoo had given him one job and it was supposed to be done yesterday. He was screwed.

He pushed away one profile and picked another one. He was so confused. Designing and constructing efficient and feasible designs was easy; choosing a model to advertise them was not. He picked up another one. It all looked same to him. They all looked same to him.

“Yeollie.” Junmyeon’s small voice and the nickname made Chanyeol’s breath stutter out of him.

“Mmmm?” He was focused on his task so much that it took him a blink longer to understand that Junmyeon had singed the corner of the profile he was currently holding. He dropped it as another tiny lightning bolt zoomed towards another corner of the page. “Jun!” He turned in his swivel chair and choked on air.

Junmyeon was standing behind him, wearing his shirt that almost reached his knees, enveloping the slightly incandescent body but leaving enough to make Chanyeol’s imagination race. He put his hands on Junmyeon’s waist, almost covering the whole expanse of it and scrunching his shirt under the grip, making it ride an inch or so above Junmyeon’s thighs. He loved when Junmyeon wore his clothes. They were so big on him, it made him want to cuddle him more.

“It’s three. Let’s go to bed.” Chanyeol looked at the wall clock and cursed softly. He didn’t know when the time had passed.

“I am sorry for keeping you up, Jun.” The god leaned down slowly placing kisses on the column of his neck and his grip tightened. “If you keep doing that I don’t think we are sleeping anytime soon.” Chanyeol’s body broke into a wave of goosebumps as Junmyeon pulled at his earlobe with his teeth and then sucked on it.

“Who said anything about sleeping?”

Chanyeol’s chest rumbled and he picked the smaller up, swiftly, huge tanned hands gripping milky white thighs with ease. Junmyeon promptly slid his limbs around him, heels digging in his lower back, arms tightening around his neck. They dropped on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs and half naked torsos, teeth biting at lips, moans filtering the room.

What seemed like hours later, they both laid down under the sheets, still clothed but heartbeats gradually slowing down.

They stopped in time. They always did.

They hadn’t gone all the way yet in the physical sense even after months of their relationship. Chanyeol was content with what they had now. It’s not like he didn’t want it, of course he did. Junmyeon was pretty tempting and self-control had never been Chanyeol’s strong suit so they both got carried away sometimes but they always stopped right before tumbling off the edge. It took herculean effort but they managed somehow, someway. Giving up on make-out sessions would drive them insane so they chose the option of having blue balls instead.

Chanyeol tightened his grip around Junmyeon and gathered him close, breathing in the scent that was just his Jun. Just him.

“Do they know about me?” He knew Junmyeon would understand what he was talking about. Chanyeol had talked to his parents about him seeing someone. Yes, it was that serious. But he didn’t know if Junmyeon ever talked with his family about them.

“They suspect.” Junmyeon spoke in his collarbone and it tickled. “Minseok is the most suspicious. He doesn’t ask me but he knows. He knows everything.” Chanyeol didn’t ask what that meant. Godly business wasn’t his, Junmyeon, on the other hand, was. “Jongdae won’t be a problem. He understands. And Jongin...he is fine as long as I am fine.” Chanyeol grazed his lips over the outline of Junmyeon’s ear. “They mostly think it will pass.”

“Hmm...what will?” His lips travelled towards Junmyeon’s temple.

“Me. You. Us.” He exhaled as Junmyeon’s words sat heavy in the pit of his stomach.

“Is that what I am? A phase that will pass?” The words were out and Junmyeon scrambled out of his grip to push himself up on his elbows and looked at him with those big doe eyes of his, forehead lines clearly visible. Junmyeon held a lot of power over him and that scared Chanyeol as well as gave him a sense of belonging.

“No, Yeol. You are certainty.”

These words spread through Chanyeol like lava, blazing but steady, gentle and unrushed, warming his soul. He framed Junmyeon’s face with his palms and pulled him in for another kiss.

Junmyeon was his certainty too.

He will just go with the first profile he will get his hands on in the morning and cross his fingers that he won’t die by his best friend’s hands.

⛅

Junmyeon hadn’t been back for days now. Twenty-three to be exact.

He had never been away for more than a day or two since they got together and the radio silence was worrying Chanyeol. It’s not like he doubted that Junmyeon couldn’t take care of himself, he was a freaking god, so yeah that wasn’t it. But it wouldn’t have affected Chanyeol as much as it did if only his boyfriend had told him where he was going or when he will return. Junmyeon had simply vanished into thin air.

He knew Junmyeon must have been stuck somewhere, helping along a tornado or controlling a tsunami but it didn’t stop him from moping. They haven’t been apart from each other before and the distance was eating his calm away.

He had been so out of it that even Mr. Kim had gone easy on him for the first few days and Kyungsoo was mollycoddling him during work and at home.

Misery loved company and Toben was his companion in it. He had finally sent off the poodle to his parents for the time being while he drowned himself with as much work as he could manage.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but go back to the last conversation they had had over him rushing around to prepare himself for a meeting with a new client. He didn’t even remember how they had ended up talking about this. What he clearly remembered though was Junmyeon watching him from their bed, his head hanging upside down on the edge, hair sprawled about like a halo.

_“You aren’t immortal?”_

_“Is it called immortality if I age really, reeeeealllly slooooow?”_

Junmyeon had stretched the vowel and his pink lips had formed an ‘o’ which had taken his attention hostage for a few minutes. He had legit went stock still, his hand clutching the knot of his tie, waiting to be tightened and had stood staring.

 _“What will you do after me?”_ Chanyeol’s brain to mouth filter usually malfunctioned in Junmyeon’s presence. He had expected many responses but Junmyeon’s patented tinkling giggles wasn’t one of them.

He had walked over at Junmyeon’s crooked finger beckoning him. His gray trousers rode up slightly at the ankles as he crouched down, showing off his white socks and his shiny dress shoes reflecting Junmyeon’s light. His face was almost level with Junmyeon’s now.

_“I told you already, Yeol, you are certainty.”_

Junmyeon had poked his nose with his index finger then.

_“Boop. Boop.”_

His trip down the memory lane was interrupted. He placed his cheek on his desk as he answered the call.

“This is Chanyeol. What can I do for you today, Mr. Kim?” He sighed internally as the man told him about changing the walnut cabinets in the kitchen that were installed a week or so ago.

If only it was possible to reach into the device and strangle someone.

⛅

One month. That’s how long it had been since Chanyeol had seen or even heard Junmyeon.

His worry was melting and moulding into anger now. He was way past the stage of brooding and now was on the precipice of being oversensitive. At work everyone steered clear of him except Kyungsoo who tolerated him, how he didn’t understand but was thankful for nonetheless. At home he was alone and everything reminded him of Junmyeon.

Junmyeon wasn’t just a man or a god for Chanyeol anymore. He was just Junmyeon. _His Jun_. Junmyeon who disappeared and appeared on his own whims. Junmyeon who moved clouds for him. Junmyeon who ordered the sun and the stars around for him. Junmyeon who adored his poodle and managed to tame the hyper Toben which seemed impossible to him. Junmyeon who had managed to get in Kyungsoo’s good books in minutes. Junmyeon who praised his cooking like he was the best cook in the world even though he was just passable in that skill. Junmyeon whom he held close every night in bed because he tended to float away in sleep sometimes. Junmyeon who had turned his belief system upside down and had still managed to ground him.

And.....and Chanyeol realised that he had loved before...or maybe he had just thought he did. This all consuming peace, the familiarity and a whole lot of mystery that Junmyeon brought with him...all of this was new to him. Welcome but novel. So he realised that maybe...maybe he hadn’t loved before because he had never felt even remotely close to what he feels for Junmyeon.

⛅

He pushed the door close with his heel and threw his keys on the counter. He looked at his Junmyeon Collection, his eternal garden that was as unchanging as ever, just as fresh, just as vibrant and smiled bitterly, chucking his jacket beside it. He walked in shedding more clothes and was unbuttoning his shirt when he saw a familiar silhouette beyond the glass. The sense of déjà vu was so strong he rubbed his eyes to confirm if he was seeing things.

The next instant he was rushing to unlatch the glass panel and bounding down the stairs and into the backyard. He hit his knee on the corner of a table in his haste but his mind was too preoccupied with a certain someone to even register the pain.

“Jun!” He stumbled as he got a look at his boyfriend after a month and picked him up, hugging him close, tight. His body relaxed as Junmyeon did the same.

“Too tight, too tight.” Chanyeol whispered as his ribs screamed and he felt Junmyeon loosen his grip around him.

He laughed some as he felt Junmyeon kissing his neck, electricity running down his neck where the lips touched it. It felt so good. But the anger simmered just below the surface. Anger at being kept in the dark, anger at being abandoned. He pushed the smaller away.

“I am angry, Junmyeon. Really pissed off.” He looked down at his boyfriend who was looking up at him patiently. “Where have you been?”

Junmyeon reached out to hold his hands and Chanyeol let him because he craved the skin to skin contact just as much as Junmyeon did.

“I am so sorry, Yeol. I was planning on telling you but then the opportunity came so suddenly and Jongin dragged me off.” He wanted to reach out and smoothen the lines that had appeared on Junmyeon’s forehead. “The reward was something I couldn’t forego.” Chanyeol’s hands were shaken slightly and Junmyeon spoke again, his tone desperate. “It was important.”

His ire fizzled out in an instant as Junmyeon’s distress increased. He reached over and freed Junmyeon’s bottom lip with his thumb.

“Jun.” He was calm now, settled because Junmyeon was fine but he needed an explanation. “I know that I don’t understand most of the things when it comes to you and that’s fine as long as you explain them to me. All I want is a text message telling me that you are well. You might be invincible but I still worry.” Junmyeon nodded in his palms and he stroked Junmyeon’s cheekbones with his thumbs.

“I went to get this.” Junmyeon pointed beside him at a bag. Chanyeol raised his eyebrows and Junmyeon reached inside the bag.

“A peach?” Chanyeol was confused. Peaches weren’t even that hard to find.

“No, Yeol. Peaches.” Junmyeon opened up the bag and Chanyeol peeked inside taking note of several peaches. All of them were same size, same colour and looked delicious. But he still didn’t get it.

“Okay, sweetheart, peaches...but I am still lost. I would have bought you these from the farmer’s market. They sell fresh produce.”

Junmyeon shook his head and stood on his tippy toes to kiss his jaw because that’s all he could reach without Chanyeol leaning down for him.

“These aren’t just any peaches, silly. These ripen every 3000 years and we had to do a stakeout to get our hands on these. That’s why it took us so long and service wasn’t exactly available where we were or I would have called.” Junmyeon pouted. “I was so bored, Yeol. Jongin is a whiny bastard but he was my only choice.”

“Wait.” Chanyeol noticed something as Junmyeon was talking and his tunic slipped a little, exposing his shoulder. “What’s this?” He pushed the neckline away and looked at the cut that started from the base of Junmyeon’s neck and down towards the collarbone. It was pink and didn’t shine like Junmyeon’s skin usually did. And it wasn’t there before Junmyeon left. Chanyeol knew because he had peppered kisses on that collarbone hundreds of times.

“Jongin got angry.” Three words brought back Chanyeol’s anger in full force, his fists clenched.

“He hurt you.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement made through Chanyeol’s clenched teeth.

“He tried which is the point of sparring. He might be the god of war but I would crush him like a paper in a fight.” Junmyeon laughed and Chanyeol’s insides thawed a bit. He would never understand gods and their ways.

“Tell me he looks worse at least.” He traced the scar with the tips of his fingers.

“His nose will take time to heal and he is sporting a glorious black eye.” Junmyeon’s tone was full of pride. Chanyeol was proud too. This Jongin guy was going to get some words when Chanyeol meets him. He leans down and kisses the fading scar.

“That’s my love. Now about these peaches....”

⛅

“I don’t understand, Jun. Soo was going to be here and then suddenly he cancelled on us.” Chanyeol said in a puzzled tone, glaing at the texts he received from his best friend a few moments ago.

[ _Won’t be able to make it. You guys carry on._ ]

[ _Be careful with him_.]

[ _Be glad I like Jun, thank me later._ ]

 ** SoooOooOo ** ** 21:03**

The content of the messages confused him more.

“Do you know anything about this, Jun?” He asked, his eyes on his phone waiting for a reply. When he didn’t get one, his eyebrows scrunched up.

[.... _????_ ]

** You 21:04 **

“Yeollie.”

“Mmm?”

“Let’s have sex.”

“Mmkay.” His response was immediate, even before his mind registered what he was agreeing to. When he actually did catch up to Junmyeon’s statement, his hand went slack and so did his jaw. “WHAT?”

“I am ready. We are ready, aren’t we?” Jumyeon’s worry lines appeared between his eyebrows and Chanyeol walked towards him. He reached out and rubbed at the lines.

“I... We don’t have to rush. We can wait some more.” He said cautiously, one of his hands on Junmyeon’s hips, the other moving on from his forehead to his neck.

“I am ready. I have been for a while now. But courage isn’t my strong suit when it comes to you apparently.” Chanyeol leaned his head down as Junmyeon inched up on his tip toes to reach his lips. “Do you want to?”

“Yes. Yes, of course. But only if you are okay with this.” He hummed as Junmyeon trailed kisses down his jaw and small warm hands slipped under his pajama top, grazing up his chest.

“I am.” Junmyeon held his hand and pulled him into their bedroom.

The curtains were open and Chanyeol remembered the sky being clear because the stars shined and the crescent moon was there but not enough to shed light in the dim lit room. But he didn’t need any light because Junmyeon was lit enough, not glowing like he usually did, just lucent skin as if the lightning bolts Junmyeon commanded were running under it, fuelling it.

He stood still as Junmyeon unbuttoned his top one blue button at a time and slipped it off his shoulders. Chanyeol would remember the rustle the piece of cloth made as it landed on the floor. He closed his eyes as Junmyeon scattered kisses from one of his shoulder blade to the other, staying a while at his Adam’s apple which bobbed when he gulped. His knees would have buckled if Junmyeon had kept going but at that moment he decided to step back.

His body felt warm, so warm he wondered how he wasn’t melting yet. Junmyeon pushed him on the bed and he complied by sitting on the edge. Junmyeon stood in front of him, not much taller but all in his glory and Chanyeol thought it was better if he set the pace.

Junmyeon was about to remove his tunic when he placed his hands on his, stopping him. His eyes asked for permission and Junmyeon nodded, eyes lit with something Chanyeol had seen before but still couldn’t name.

They had kissed before, they had seen each other before, they had touched before but this was different. Chanyeol’s fingers trembled slightly as he slowly unbuttoned the tunic but didn’t slide it off as Junmyeon had done to him. He peeled the tunic at the neck and looked at the scar that was almost faded. He had to strain slightly to graze his lips around the scar, slowly licking it, tasting it and Junmyeon moaned. He liked the fact that Junmyeon’s body trembled a bit and he pushed the tunic off.

It didn’t make any sound unlike Chanyeol’s top.

Then he reached towards the crown that sat on Junmyeon’s head and plucked it off gently, carefully. It was red Bleeding hearts and pink Delphiniums, twined together with lush green Ivy. It was beautiful like Junmyeon’s crowns always were. Chanyeol turned and placed it on the bedside table.

“You are beautiful.” Chanyeol said as he skimmed his fingers down the smooth, inclines of Junmyeon’s torso and he realised he should say it more often as he saw Junmyeon’s cheeks sprinkle with pink. Their eyes met again and Chanyeol understood it finally. It was lust. That’s what it was he couldn’t recognize before. Liquid heat pulled at the base of his stomach and he strained some more to reach Junmyeon’s lips. “Are you sure about this?”

Junmyeon chuckled and shook his head before holding his face and locked their lips.

This time they didn’t stop like they usually did before. This time they didn’t hold back as they usually did before.

And a thought popped into Chanyeol’s head as his tongue licked at the teardrop that glided from the corner of Junmyeon’s eye and down the temple... _If pearls could taste, they would taste like Junmyeon’s tears_.

Junmyeon beneath him, Junmyeon around him, Junmyeon arching his back as their bodies finally reached the culmination they were seeking for. Chanyeol would remember every single detail of this night for the rest of his life, just like he would remember every single moment he had ever spent with Junmyeon.

“I think you seared my eyes.” Chanyeol whispered as he adjusted the sheets around them, holding Junmyeon close.

“You will be fine.” Junmyeon scoffed sleepily. “Let’s go again after some rest.”

Their bodies shook as Chanyeol laughed silently, fondly.

⛅

Junmyeon was sleeping beside him on his stomach, wine coloured sheets low, low on his bare back giving Chanyeol more than enough skin to play with, to memorize. He adjusted his body on his side and pushed himself up on his elbow, leaving one hand free to explore Junmyeon’s back.

He watched in fascination, the contrast of their skin tones— his sun-kissed skin on Junmyeon’s pale, light one. He splayed his fingers and watched as the faint light peeked through and danced around the slopes of his fingers.

“So they are twins?” He asked wondering how someone could be so beautiful, so perfect. His boyfriend was unearthly, literally.

“Hmmm they are. But you won’t believe that when you will see them. From their looks to their domains they are exact opposites. War and Peace. I don’t know what our elders were thinking blessing them like that. Sometimes even I wonder how they can be twins. They are at each other’s throats more than half of the time!” Junmyeon whined, looking at him with his cheek squished into the pillow and Chanyeol couldn’t stop himself from kissing the lips that quickly became his obsession.

They were insatiable. Both of them. It was almost impossible for them to keep their hands to themselves since the night they decided to introduce the physical aspect to their relationship. Kyungsoo was grossed out at the constant PDA. Chanyeol didn’t care at all.

His index finger slithered down, leaving soft caresses, ghost touches in its path and settled on circling around the two small dimples that Junmyeon’s lower back was graced with.

Chanyeol was absolutely crazed for those dimples. They were two shallow indentations right in the middle of Junmyeon’s lower back. He had found out recently that his thumbs fit perfectly in them when he held Junmyeon’s waist. Unbeknownst to him, his hand would settle on them every time they were in close proximity. At this point, it was instinctual for his fingers to find those small dips.

“And Minseok?” He asked still tracing the tiny valleys with his finger, round and round and repeat.

“He...knows everything.” Junmyeon whispers. Chanyeol noticed how it was the same thing he had heard before about Junmyeon’s eldest brother but he didn’t push it.

Everything will happen in time. It was Chanyeol’s motto and it hadn’t failed him till now.

“So I will meet them, huh?” He changed the direction of the conversation and latched onto something that Junmyeon had said before.

“Of course you will.”

“Hmmm...” His finger dipped a little lower and he saw Junmyeon’s eyes blaze with liquid fire. He was up and straddling Junmyeon’s thighs in a second, pinning him to bed but Junmyeon’s body still not touching the surface. Junmyeon stayed still and Chanyeol leaned down kissing the same path his fingers had traced some minutes ago. When he reached his favourite dips, he licked around them, his tongue tasting the tempest and the quietude all wrapped in one, experienced the oxymoron that Junmyeon was.

He smirked as Junmyeon mewled into his pillow and his skin dazzled once and then settled down as Chanyeol stroked his sides, nails barely grazing.

⛅

Chanyeol was not in a good mood. Mr. Kim had decided to walk in and start yelling threats at him out of nowhere today. That was fine. After all he was used to handling the man’s moods for better part of the year now but his best friend had decided to finally intervene and explode. It was not a pretty sight by any means.

Mr. Kim’s face was a sight to celebrate though. He paled and went stiff as Kyungsoo started to get into curses that made Chanyeol’s ears bleed...well not actually but they definitely had the potential to make it happen.

After a minute he had managed to slam his hand on his best friend’s mouth who still delivered enough of his emotions through rude hand gestures which made Mr. Kim’s eyeballs almost pop out. The sight was so comical that Chanyeol hid his smile behind a struggling Kyungsoo as he dragged him out.

When he returned to salvage the situation, his client just nodded and left. Now, he wasn’t sure if his biggest project was still his or not. Kyungsoo’s reassurance and more cursing had done absolutely nothing positive for his spirits.

His mood soured some more when he remembered that Junmyeon was supposed to be away for a couple of days. One person that could actually turn his day around was MIA for lord knows how many hours more and Chanyeol was ready to go home and just sleep his night away.

His plan went down the drain the moment he almost...almost ran down a cat. It was black and he remembered the night his life has changed for the better. He prayed to every god out there (Junmyeon included), as he alighted from the car and with quick steps rounded the car.

His knees almost buckled with relief but he leaned on the hood as he watched the cat sitting on its haunches looking at him with its amber eyes.

“Kitty, you have a knack for adventures.” He crouched down and tried to pet the cat. It hissed back. “Okay then. Now go away. Go. Shoo.” He waved his hands and the cat hissed again, eyes narrowed to slits. “Alright. I will just go around you. You are so grumpy which does nothing for your cute appearence.”

He ignored the fact that he was talking to an animal that didn’t understand a single word he had uttered. But the incident somehow made the stress relieve his body. He turned around and walked to open the door and stopped abruptly.

The cat was sitting in front of the door.

“Wha–How?” He whispered looking back at where it was earlier and then where it was now. His brain screamed a warning which he stomped down on because...well....because it was just a cat.

It didn’t look feral or wild. It had a coat that was shiny which meant it was cared for. Maybe it just got lost.

“Go away. Go.” He banged his boots and swayed his hands again hoping the cat would take the hint already. The cat kept looking at him as if judging him. “What do you want then? I don’t have any food with me.” He showed his empty palms to the animal and thought he had finally gone down the deep end.

The cat scratched at his car door and he flinched.

“Oh no no no. You aren’t going with me. Toben already gives me enough attitude as is, I don’t want him to go all psycho on me.” He shook his head as the cat scratched at the door rapidly, more vigorously.

He contemplated some more as the animal didn’t relent even a bit. He was standing in the middle of nowhere, talking to a cat that was practically bullying him into taking it home with him. He shivered. Winter was just around the corner and the sudden temperature drops were not out of ordinary, especially at night. He looked at the cat again, who was staring him down from the other end.

“Alright. Okay.” He nodded to himself ... and the cat. “What is the worse that can happen, right?”

The moment he opened the door, the cat bounded inside and after surveying the indoors like it was used to doing so, it curled up and settled in the passenger seat. Now he was sure that the cat was not wild. Someone lost their pet and his heart was hurting for them. He couldn’t even imagine what he would do if he ever lost Toben.

He buckled up in his seat and reached towards the cat slowly. When the cat didn’t react he dared to pet it and felt a sense of victory when it purred.

“You are spoiled. Let’s go home first then we will find your owner. I don’t know how to do that but we will find a way.”

The cat made a sound as he drove slowly and he couldn’t help but think that it was laughing at him.

⛅

Chanyeol couldn’t wait to show Junmyeon what he had found. Although he wasn’t sure how his boyfriend would react to coming home to a cat. Plus Toben and the kitty weren’t getting along. Like at all. He had to lock up the poodle in his bedroom as he kept a close eye on the cat who went around his house like it owned the property.

He had called Kyungsoo because he had no idea how to find the cat’s owner. Kyungsoo had suggested just staying still and that it would find its way back. Cats usually do. He had tried to feed the cat but every time he tried to do so, the cat would look at him with so much disgust he would back off.

Really a 30 year old man wasn’t cut out to take tantrums from not one but two monsters at the same time.

The cat followed him everywhere. It camped in front of the bathroom while he took shower, watched him when he cooked, paced in front of him when he called Soo.

“Soo, this kitty is creepy.” He said into his phone as the cat sat unmoving, looking at him.

“How creepy can a cat be, Yeol? You are overreacting.” Soo had hung up on him.

The cat didn’t let him pet itself again and hissed at him every time he called it Kitty. Toben was giving him cold shoulder and was overall being a little shit.

He needed someone. He needed Junmyeon. But the love of his life was nowhere to be seen.

⛅

“YEOL!”

Chanyeol scrambled off his chair and rushed out as he heard Junmyeon’s yell. It has been three days and finally he was going to shower his boyfriend with lots and lots of kisses. And also ask him to coax grumpy Toben. Junmyeon was good at making the poodle behave.

“Oh god. I missed you.” His breath was knocked out as Junmyeon jumped on him and clung to him like a koala. It was good that he had good reflexes otherwise they both would have been sprawled on the floor. The peaches were actually useful.

His palms flexed on Junmyeon’s butt and his boyfriend groaned in his mouth. They broke apart and smiled at each other. Junmyeon talked between Chanyeol kissing his face.

“You don’t know how difficult it is to get away from the twins. I almost burned the house down.” Chanyeol hmmed on his cheeks and Junmyeon giggled. “They took away my phone and that’s when I caught onto them.” Chanyeol took his lips again and Junmyeon eagerly complied. “I smell Minseok all over this.”

“But you are here now so it’s okay, right?” Chanyeol asked because he knew nothing would stop Junmyeon from coming to him and it was confirmed as Junmyeon nodded.

“I am staying. Watch me give them silent treatment this time. They are acting like idiots. Ugh!” Junmyeon threw his head back and whined. Chanyeol laughed and kissed the base of his throat.

“Speaking of silent treatment, take Toben out, will you?” Chanyeol’s question was answered with curious eyes. “You see, I–”

But he was interrupted as he heard sounds from his bedroom. That’s when he remembered he forgot to close the door when he came out to greet Junmyeon. His bedroom was probably a battle ground by now.

“Oh shit.” He placed Junmyeon down and clutched his hand pulling him towards the growling and scratching sounds. “I got a cat....well I found it so I brought it home and Toben isn’t really fond of it.”

“What cat?” Junmyeon asked confusion evident in his tone and Chanyeol pushed the door open.

“This one.” He pointed at the black balls of fur entangled together, rolling and rolling around, grumbling.

Chanyeol’s hand was zapped as Junmyeon screamed a name, horrified.

“Minseok?!” Chanyeol stood flabbergasted as Junmyeon gently left his hand and barged in. “What in the world did you do to my Toben?” And picked the poodle up staring down at the cat.

Chanyeol saw the cat rolling its eyes and leaving the room.

⛅

They were squished in the brown leather love seat, both of them with Toben on Junmyeon’s lap, now calm and snoozing, and the cat, Minseok, sitting on the couch.

“That’s your brother? Your brother is a cat?” Chanyeol asked still shocked. The cat rolled its eyes again and Chanyeol hoped Toben got some hits in.

“He can take form of a cat. How long has he been here?” Junmyeon queried but then continued. “Wait. Is this why the two dunderheads were keeping me away from Chanyeol? Change, Brother. Right now before I break something of yours.”

One moment a black cat was sitting on his couch, the next moment, it was a man.

“Mr. Kim?!” This time it was Chanyeol who screamed. Apparently today was Lets-Shock-Chanyeol’s-Balls-Off Day and he didn’t receive a memo regarding it.

“Mr. Kim? What Mr. Kim? You know him?” Chanyeol barely opened his mouth when Junmyeon’s face whipped at his brother who was picking at some imaginary lint from his jacket. “You are the client that’s giving him trouble for months? You’re that Mr. Kim?!” Junmyeon looked at Chanyeol for confirmation and he sighed, nodding his head in affirmation.

“Brother, you better spill before I explode.” A thunder roared outside and Chanyeol took Junmyeon’s hand in his, rubbing soothing circles on the back of his palm with his thumb. He noticed how Mr. Kim’s eyes lingered on their hands. He clutched it tighter in defiance.

Mr. Kim raised his eyebrow. Chanyeol did the same.

If he had been the Chanyeol from a year ago he would have walked out and closed himself off in a room to try and deal with the situation. He at least would have taken a nap to reboot his system but since Junmyeon arrived he had learned to take things in a stride. Plus he would never abandon Junmyeon in an ambush. And ambush this one definitely was.

“Let the other two come.” Mr.Kim said in his honey smooth voice, as he relaxed on the couch and crossed his legs.

“The two are coming? Minseok, I am going to rip someone’s head off tonight.” Chanyeol’s mind took a turn. _Smiley, cute, vixen Junmyeon was sexy but pissed off, threatening to kill Junmyeon was sexier_. “I am not ready, Brother.”

Junmyeon’s small whisper made him slide closer to Junmyeon, their thighs touching, trying to comfort him. He understood this well.

“You are. It’s been almost a year, Junmyeonnie. I know what you offered him. It was time.” Chanyeol almost scoffed at the soft tone of Mr. Kim but Junmyeon relaxed after hearing it, so his muscles relaxed too.

“Yeol, just don’t punch Jongin. I know you want to.” Chanyeol nodded and kissed Junmyeon’s temple, ignoring the eyes boring into him.

“Here they are.” Mr. Kim’s sentence made Chanyeol look at the backyard where two silhouettes appeared out of nowhere.

One tall. Not as tall as he was but still tall, wide shoulders, built like a machine, lean but muscular. His hair was black just like his outfit and features sharp and fierce with high cheekbones and an aquiline nose. As he walked closer Chanyeol realized his lips were full, so much so that it seemed like he was pouting.

The other was petite, like his Jun, and was wearing a white tunic and a pair of dark trousers. Small but fast, he noticed. Chanyeol saw him landing a punch on the other’s bicep. With cheekbones so sharp that they could be used to cut steel and lips unusual, their corners tilted up. It gave out the impression that he was smiling. His beauty was unusual, exotic in a sense.

Junmyeon was right. They didn’t look like twins at all. He was also sure that he got them right. Junmyeon had described them enough for him to make an educated guess.

The taller one was Jongin, the god of War. The smaller, Jongdae, god of Peace and Beauty. They were epitome of their powers and represented it physically too.

“You fell for his usual ‘I am hungry’ act.” And Chanyeol matched the voice to Jongin.

“The one who got knocked out said what now?” Jongdae’s voice was loud, shriller opposite of Jongin’s deep set one.

“They cannot be twins.” The words slipped past Chanyeol’s lips at the exact moment they entered after some push and pull and both of them glared at him.

“We are!” They said in unison and Chanyeol could do nothing but nod.

“Okay....”

Chanyeol’s living room was filled with glowing, floating gods, literally. If someone had told him this a year ago he would have laughed in the person’s face.

Now that he was looking at all four of them sitting close by he realised all of them emitted different glow. Jongin’s had a red tinge to it, intense while Jongdae’s was bright yellow, cleaner. He looked at Minseok and noticed how his light changed. It was every colour in existence and no colour at all and it gave him a headache if he kept looking at it longer than necessary. His eyes met Minseok’s and he averted his gaze but not before he saw the eldest smiling.

He then looked at Junmyeon, the hand that he was holding and the face that was too closest to him. Junmyeon’s glow was more muted than others, it was white imbued with blue, tint so light he wouldn’t have noticed it if he didn’t have anything to compare it to. His Junmyeon’s light was the prettiest. He didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t need to.

“Chanyeol.” Jongdae nodded at him and Junmyeon didn’t show any emotion as to how they knew his name so Chanyeol didn’t say anything either. “And that’s Toben I assume.” Jongdae said his smile wide and carefree. It made Chanyeol feel a weird sense of peace that wasn’t unwelcome.

“The one you threatened to launch at me?” Jongin asked and came closer to them, bending slightly he sneered. “It’s a dog. Harmless.” As if sensing something wrong Toben raised his head in Junmyeon’s lap and bashed his teeth at the god who backed off steadily. Chanyeol has never been so proud of his poodle before.

“Yes. This is Park Chanyeol. The one I...mine. He is mine.” Chanyeol would have kissed Junmyeon’s face if they hadn’t been surrounded by his family who didn’t seem much keen on his existence. He settled on tightening his grip on Junmyeon’s hand. He was sure he was sporting a smitten look. He understood Junmyeon’s choice of words perfectly. Their feelings went beyond the word “love”. Mine sounded good to him. It was not about the owning, it was about the belonging. And they belonged together.

For some reason his eyes flitted to Junmyeon’s crown. It was the simplest one he had seen to date. White Arbutus flowers sprinkled in between its signature red bark and contrasting emerald leaves. His soul sang and his heart melted.

Junmyeon rubbed Toben’s belly who promptly went back to snoozing. “You should ask Minseok about Toben’s harmlessness.”

He watched, amazed as his boyfriend tilted his chin in challenge and Minseok fidgeted, clearing his throat.

Chanyeol was free falling for this cheeky Junmyeon.

“Can you fight?” The question was direct. Chanyeol shook his head. “Swords? Guns? Knives? Fists?” Chanyeol shook his head at every word and the god of war looked down at him from where he was standing beside his brothers. “How will he survive, Myeonnie? He looks like a pretty boy. All bling, no bite.”

Before Chanyeol could retort Junmyeon put their joined hands on his thigh. He got it. He leaned back and let Junmyeon handle his brothers.

“He will be fine, Nini. He has all the time in the world and then some to learn and adapt but I wonder.... how many times I can knock you out in the meantime, huh?” Junmyeon smiled and Jongin’s lips twitched. Tension dispersed and Chanyeol understood that the conversation was never as serious as he thought it was.

“It’s good that you cook, Chanyeol.” Jongdae interrupted the silence in his too high voice which Chanyeol started to like by the second. “Because our Myeonnie can’t.” He pointed at Junmyeon and tiled his head, tongue lolling out. Chanyeol pulled Junmyeon closer and nodded in acknowledgement.

“You are a good man, Chanyeol. Don’t hurt him.” Minseok started and Chanyeol sat straighter. He felt like doing it. He listened with rapt attention. “Actually I know you won’t hurt him.” The twins nodded and Chanyeol waited for something else to drop. For some opposition, some threats. But none came.

“Wait! This is it?” He asked, jaw slack.

“What were you expecting? Us dragging Myeonnie away from you?” Jongdae started and Jongin continued. “As if he wouldn’t burn the whole world down if we did that. He already offered you the peaches. There’s no going back. You chose well.”

All Chanyeol could think was that the twins finishing each other’s sentences was creepy as hell. And that Kyungsoo should never meet them because he had a feeling the trio would hit it off and then chaos would ensue.

“Minseok saw you coming anyways and since he isn’t against this, none of us are.”

Now this was some relevant information worth digging in.

“That’s why he brought me here that night...” Junmyeon whispered but Chanyeol heard him clearly.

“What do you mean by that? He saw me coming? Coming from where?” Four pairs of eyes twinkled and he sat back stumped as his brain connected some dots. “That night....that cat was you. That’s why you looked familiar. I almost got into an accident!”

“No you didn’t.” Minseok answered lightly. “You have a long life ahead of you.”

“But how do you know this?”

“He knows–”

“Everything. Yeah I know.” Chanyeol repeated what he had heard about Minseok before. The only thing he had heard about him before.

“No hard feelings, Chanyeol.” He saw Minseok, a gummy smile painted on his face and he couldn’t believe it was the same Mr.Kim who was his terror client.

“Yeah, no hard feelings.” He would have stopped there but his petty self that was trained by one Doh Kyungsoo couldn’t let it rest at that. “But your taste in home décor sucks, Mr. Kim.”

Junmyeon shook beside him with suppressed laughter but Jongin was the one who chortled out loud like a stuttering car engine.

“I like him.”

Chanyeol watched as the gods laughed and he quickly pecked Junmyeon’s earlobe. “We have got to keep Soo away from the twins.” Junmyeon looked at him, eyes luminous. “Trust me. That won’t end well for us.” Junmyeon pecked his slightly parted lips in agreement.

Chanyeol imagined the Kims meeting the Parks and the Dohs....oh boy....

⛅ ⛅ ⛅

_Chanyeol was late and it was Junmyeon’s fault. He closed his car door and jogged his way from the driveway to the mansion’s front door which was slightly ajar. He took it as the permission to enter and headed straight to the room they were supposed to decide the details of today._

_Mr. Kim’s study._

_The detailed designs ruffled in his hand due to his quick pace._

_He pushed the swinging door and stopped abruptly, standing still, his eyes wide._

_He should have left the same way he came in and they wouldn’t even have noticed but his brain decided to order his mouth to speak but forgot to supply the exact words._

_“Ummm.”_

_The reaction was instantaneous as the two bodies glued together jumped apart, hair ruffled and clothes indecent. He perceived the exact moment his best friend understood he was in trouble._

_“Yeol....” He jumped down the table and pulled his shirt down, straightening his askew glasses. Minseok was looking at both of them with a blank expression. “This is not what you think it is...”_

_“We will talk later, Soo.” Chanyeol cut him off and smiled slightly to express that it was alright. Then he turned around and went back the way he came and pulled out of the property._

_“Did you know that Soo is sucking my client’s face that also happens to be your brother who also happens to be a god?” Chanyeol wasn’t offended at what he saw. They were both adults, irresponsible, but still capable of making their own decisions. It would just take some time to get over the shock._

_“Minseok?” Junmyeon’s voice was like a soothing balm and Chanyeol relaxed some._

_“Who else? How long has this been happening? Did you know?” He dumped the questions in quick succession._

_“Of course I didn’t.”_

_“Jun, I will not hesitate to break your brother’s nose if he ends up hurting Soo.” Best Friend Protection Programme was an actual thing and Chanyeol took it very, very seriously._

_“I didn’t expect anything less from you. Soo said the same thing to me actually.”_

_Chanyeol was not really surprised. Soo and him, they always had each other’s back. “When?”_

_“After we kissed for the first time that night. He did it over text. Even though the emojis conveyed his emotions perfectly, they were overkill in my opinion.” Junmyeon chuckled. Chanyeol did too._

_“I was wondering, sweetheart, suddenly I feel like taking a vacation.” Chanyeol’s unexpected change of thought was accompanied by shuffling sounds on the other side of the speaker. “Jun?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“What are you doing?”_

_“Packing.” Junmyeon’s answer was prompt. Chanyeol pressed on the accelerator._

_“I will be there in 10.”_

⛅ ⛅ ⛅

**Author's Note:**

> • Plumerias - New beginnings  
> • Jade Vine - Connect with others on spiritual level  
> • Lily of the Valley - Hope  
> • Forget-Me-Not - Growing affection between two people  
> • Honeysuckle - Pure happiness  
> • Peonies – Romance  
> • Alstroemeria - Bonding, stability and overcoming difficulties together  
> • Amaryllis - Romantic love  
> • Hydrangeas - Excitement for spending the day with your date  
> • Carnations - Fascination and desire to get to know someone  
> • Tulips - Perfect Love  
> • Baby’s Breath - Everlasting Love  
> • Calla Lilies - Admiration & appreciation (pink), passion (purple), gratitude (yellow), innocence & purity (white)  
> • Bleeding hearts - True love  
> • Delphiniums - Youth & renewal  
> • Ivy - Fidelity & eternal life  
> • Arbutus - You are the only one I love
> 
> • Peaches of Immortality are referred from Chinese mythology
> 
> • If you are still mulling over what Minseok symbolizes then here's your answer: Fate.
> 
> A yehet for my beta. They did excellent! 
> 
> Mods, you have been an absolute honor to work with.


End file.
